Episode #258: I Always Enjoy The Music Around Me

No matter how crappy your week might get, it's the little things that keep you chugging along.

I've mentioned over the years that I have a very modest (compared to others) music collection that is mostly vinyl and c.d.s, with the vinyl split between LP and 45 then further split between new and used.

I rarely buy new vinyl because it's a prohibitively expensive 100% money grab (average price for a single LP is about the cost of one half to one third of tank of gas depending on where you live), and I rarely buy used vinyl, because there's no used record stores near me or the what GoodWill/Salvation Army/Savers carries is not conducive for listening if you're under the age of 60 and your music tastes have not been permanently stunted.

Over the years, my little brother (four years younger than moi) has always been on the lookout for vinyl for me. He often collects it from clients (he's a handyman/super), garage sales and even once found some by the curbside, and I often receive them as b'day gifts or Christmas presents. 

Because I'm not one to turn down free vinyl of any sort, I now possess music in all kinds of genres: 30's-70's pop, 80's rock, 90's indie rock, soul, jazz, comedy and everything else in between. I should mention that what my brother gifts me is nearly all original issues, with almost zero being reissues. Trust me, it's pretty easy to tell if you got an original, especially if you know the basic history of a particular artist. With that being said, I would like to share some examples, split between LP and 45, of what my brother has gifted me over the years. Please note that these examples are all original releases and some of the 45s come with the original sleeve.

1. Steve Lawrence- "In Time/My Claire De Lune": Most people know Steve Lawrence from his various comedic appearances on shows like The Carol Burnett Show or Johnny Carson, but he was a very accomplished singer in his own right. A United Artists release from the 60's.
2. Inez Foxx- "Mockingbird/Jaybirds: If you've listened to the golden oldies radio format, you're very familiar with the A side. What's interesting about 45, is that the previous owner had put little yellow dots noting the year (1963) and the length of the end fade (:04). A Symbol Records release.
3. Don McLean- "American Pie"- promo radio version in mono: I have both the reissue long version and I believe the original long version on 45. A United Artists release.
4. Wilton Place Street Band- "I Love Lucy Theme/You Don't Even Know Who We Are": Not familiar with this band, although a lot of minimally known bands/artists often became one hit wonders for their theme songs. This was released on an Island Records subsidiary called Disco Lucy in 1978. Make of that what you will.
5. Journey- "Open Arms" promo 45: We all know of Journey, that late 70's/early 80's arena rock band that is currently being ossified on classic rock radio. This particular release is strictly a radio station copy, as both A & B sides are the same song. A Columbia Records release.
6. Billy Stewart- "I Do Love You/Keep Loving": If you're not familiar with Billy Stewart, he had that monster hit called "Summertime", a cover version from a featured song in the play "Porgy and Bess". This was also a radio promo copy with the first song listed being the plug. A Chess Record release.

As I've stated earlier, these are all original releases, with the majority of them being promo records given to radio stations. Now let's move on to a sampling of LPs, most of which are original releases.

1. John Lennon- "Mind Games": A great musician but a mediocre human being, he put out some fantastic music during his solo career. This is a Capitol Records reissue that I'm guessing came out after his untimely passing.
2. Bruce Springsteen- "Born In The U.S.A.": I was a fan of Bruce Springsteen once, until he turned into one of those money grubbing people that he used to rail about. Now he just rails about the people who dare not to vote his way, who used to make up the majority of his fan base. Have to give him props for producing an album that featured at least six top 25 hits. A Columbia Records original release.
3. Andy Gibbs- "After Dark": An often overlooked artist who sadly flamed out after his massive hit "Shadow Dancing", which this album does not contain. An original RSO Records release.
4. The Mamas & Papas- "If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears": An excellent folk rock band from the late 60's. I already have an original version (#2 I believe) of this release. The reason why I say 'number two', is if you remember how puritanical the entertainment industry was in the 60's, the original cover photo of this album made everyone clutch their pearls, as it originally showed the group, fully clothed in a bathtub with a toilet in full view. The cover was quickly redone and in some versions, the toilet was mostly blocked out, leaving only the handle showing and in other versions, I believe everything was blacked out save for the band members. An original ABC/Dunhill Records release.
   
5. The Rolling Stones- "Aftermath": What can I say about the Rolling Stones other than in my personal opinion they jumped the shark in the mid 90's and been on a fast downhill slide to money-grubbing irrelevance. Still, this early original album features such dinosaur classics as "Paint It; Black", "Lady Jane", and "Under My Thumb". Original stereo London Records release.

This is just a very tiny sampling of the type of music that my brother has graciously gifted to me over the years (I was also gifted such interesting items like full orchestral 45 e.p.s), to which I am forever grateful. I have just recently acquired a portable record player and I'm slowly starting to get back into the swing of listening to my vinyl once again (for example, I recently listened to an original Simon & Garfunkel album that featured "I Am A Rock" and "Richard Corey").

I truly enjoy exploring the vast Mariana Trench that is music, and that exploration has led me to a diverse group of artists like Samantha Fish (blues), The Pretty Reckless (hard rock), Band Maid (Japanese hard rock), and Sammy Kershaw (country-pop) and genres like country-pop, easy listening, rock, jazz and even 18th century classical/ballads. 

Explore your horizons today, you just might find something that is so out of the ordinary that it will tickle your fancy enough to dig that deep rabbit hole.

{c} 2025 by G.B. Miller. All Rights Reserved